WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE BULLETIN

WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE BULLETIN
2003 Corinth Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90025
(310) 477-7274
E-mail: westlabt@verizon.net
Fax (310) 477-6674
Web Site: www.wlabt.org
Vol. 49, No. 9
September 2006
Special Events in September 2006
OHIGAN SEMINAR
HIGAN-E SERVICE
Saturday, September 16
Sunday, September 17, 10:00 a.m.
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Hamburger lunch to follow
(see details inside)
REV. USUKI’S PAGE
A Gift
Though I turn to the Pure Land teachings,
There is no truth within my heart.
Within this deceitful and untrue self,
There is no trace of purity.
The appearance of goodness and diligence
Is a matter of mere external form.
The abundance of greed, anger, and falsehood
Fills this self of deceit and lies.
The deceitful heart, like snake and scorpion,
Cannot perform self-generated good acts;
Without the compassion of Tathagatha
I have neither repentance nor shame.
Within this shameless, unrepenting self
There is no genuine, sincere heart.
But the Name of Amida is a gift
Whose virtues permeate the universe.
- Shinran Shonin
(continued next page)
(Rev. Usuki’s Page continued)
I hope you enjoyed the many activities of the long summer season, danced at Obon festivals, escaped the crowd and somehow found relief from the exceptional heat. September is here once again which marks the beginning of a regular schedule for family,
business, school and the temple. We’re already scheduled for many events for the remainder of 2006 and planning new activities for 2007. Reflecting back on the summer,
we are thankful and fortunate to be able to go to many beautiful places, enjoy retirement, or for many of us, go back to work and resume our career so we can maintain the
security of our lives and family. We are able to enjoy what seems to be an endless
abundance filled with overwhelming options in our life. What we have today is certainly
an unprecedented gift of life when contrasted to the lives of our predecessors.
As we have received this gift we have also come to learn the art of spending money and
time wisely. We have learned to maximize on the luxury of going places, looking for best
buys, attending the sports activities of grandchildren and perfecting personal hobbies.
The art of giving and sharing is our form of giving thanks for everything we have. In this
sense we have reached the plateau of our physical world. The person that we are in this
world is what Shinran Shonin describes as a “good person” of self-generated good effort.
Despite thinking that we have reached the ultimate reward, there is more to consider –
a true gift which is beyond our own efforts, that has made everything we have possible.
Shinran teaches that as long as there is the smallest remnant of thinking about the
good done by our own effort, it becomes a form of attachment that is ultimately false
and empty. Such attachment leads to thinking that the doer is the ultimate physical
and spiritual provider. As we feed our mind in this way with the many rewards of our
current world, we continue to reaffirm self-importance and self-centeredness. This is
not to say that we should condemn ourselves for our efforts or negate the fruits of our
labors or eschew the good life. The true gift of life is to understand this reality of life,
that our world is neither constant nor permanent and all things achieved come from the
many causes and conditions that are provided by the workings of many people and
things from the past and present.
Shinran himself admitted that the most difficult challenge was to give up competitive
pride and self-praising ego. The true gift of life is provided to us in the form of truly understanding and accepting the absolute Wisdom and Compassion of Amida Buddha
that exposes the ego and embraces all beings at all times and at all places “as is” and
naturally. This is the absolute and pure Wisdom and Compassion we can live in without
fear and anxiety when we find ourselves without the comforts and security we enjoy today, or when suddenly things take a turn for the worse. To become truly aware of this
gift is to live in awareness of Gratitude – Namo Amida Butsu. It is the inspiration for
daily existence and for the future. This is expressed in Shinran’s passage:
Without the compassion of Tathagatha
I have neither repentance nor shame
Namo Amida Butsu
SHINSHU CORNER
Shinran Shonin’s Lament
Shinran’s profound realization of evil and sin became manifest as he awakened to Shinjin, true entrusting in Amida Buddha, that is true and real. It was the momentous encounter between the lowliest, most evil and the highest, most excellent truth. If we fail
to fully appreciate this encounter and see Shinran only as swinging back and forth between the extremes of despair and joy, he would be nothing more than a physical case.
The deep lament in Shinran cannot be understood separately from the existence of deep
joy in his life. The sorrowful lamentation regarding the fathomless depth of blind passion is the very substance of the profound joy in having had a fruitful encounter with
Amida Buddha. Unless we also see this unitary experience in Shinran, we fail to
understand his religious life.
It is indeed sorrowful to give way to impulses with the excuse that one is
by nature possessed of blind passion – excusing acts that should not be
committed, words that should not be said, and thoughts that should not be
harbored – and to say that one may follow one’s desires in any way whatever. It is like offering more wine before the person who has become sober
or urging him to take even more poison before the poison has abated.
“Here’s some medicine, so drink all the poison you like” – words like these
should never be said.
- Shinran Shonin
(End of Rev. Usuki’s Page)
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Jeff Wilson
Italian food (probably prepared by Mexicans),
and listening to music from Africa.
There’s a show on
the Discovery Channel
called
“Dirty
Jobs.” The premise
is that the host goes
around visiting people who have really
dirty, smelly, messy
jobs:
plumbers,
trash
collectors,
worm farmers, and so on. He hangs out with
them, tries his hand at doing their job (usually
poorly), and demonstrates just how awful their
jobs are. But the point isn’t just to laugh at
how miserable these jobs are or to feel glad that
we don’t have jobs as gross as theirs. The real
point of “Dirty Jobs” is that thousands of people are working everyday at really undesirable
jobs so that we can enjoy the relative comfort,
hygiene, and convenience of modern life. The
host wants us to acknowledge their sacrifices
and feel thankful to them for enabling us to live
in a way that isn’t “dirty.”
When we think of interconnection, sometimes
we tend to think of the amazing aspects, like
eating food and listening to music from another
part of the world. But there are also the very
mundane or even unappealing aspects as well.
Interconnection means that I can have a clean
job (such as being a teacher) only because
someone else has a dirty job (hauling away my
trash) that supports me. Even if we aren’t
aware of it, what those people are doing affects
us. Interconnection also means that even if we
aren’t aware of it, what we do impacts others
too. Somehow, on some level, what I do affects
the violence in the Middle East, the homeless
people down on Skid Row, the migrants working in the fields, and everyone else. We all
share this inner togetherness.
REFLECTION
For me, an important part of Buddhism is waking up to the myriad ways in which I am
interconnected with others. When shows like
“Dirty Jobs” reveal to me my indebtedness, I
feel humbled and thankful. Then, I try my best
to act in ways that will make positive contributions to everyone who shares this inner
togetherness with me. Just as a limited being
such as myself can’t know all the factors that
support my life, I can’t know what impact I am
continually having on others. But to the extent
that I am awakened to the presence of others—
known and unknown—enabling me to live, I
can work at returning a small portion of that
gift with compassion and gratitude.▲▲▲
I really admire this show “Dirty Jobs.” Before I
watched it, I didn’t have a clear sense for how
many factors must come together to allow me
to live as well as I do. Sure, I saw the guys haul
off the trash and recycling every week from behind my building, and every now and then I
had to call a plumber for help. But all the while
there were so many people I wasn’t aware of
who toiled in dirty jobs so that I could eat, enjoy my home, receive electricity, gas, and water,
wear decent clothes, and basically do virtually
anything and everything that I do.
THE AUTHOR: Mr. Jeff Wilson is a PhD candidate in Buddhism
at the University of North Carolina. Jeff and his wife Kristen are
East Coast natives and were active participants at New York Buddhist Church before moving to the WLA area in June, 2005 and
becoming affiliated with WLA Buddhist Temple. Jeff is currently
working on his PhD dissertation and Kristen works at UCLA. Jeff
has written and edited numerous Buddhist publications and is a
contributor to the well-known Buddhist magazine Tricycle (WLA’s
subscription is available in the Temple office). One particularly
interesting booklet written by Jeff is A Journey into Other Power, a
publication of the American Buddhist Study Center Publication
Series. He was also the featured English speaker at our very first
WLA Fall Ohigan Seminar last September. During the past Spring
Quarter, Jeff taught a course in Buddhism at North Carolina State.
As of July 31, he is at Ryukoku University in Kyoto to conduct
research for his thesis. He returns in November.
In Buddhism, these connections between us
and other people are called interconnection.
The late Shin thinker Kaneko Daiei also used
the term “inner togetherness.” Whether or not
we are aware of them, our whole lives exist only
because of the existence of other lives. The
whole world comes together in my living, which
is especially apparent in our modern globalized
situation, where I can type this message for an
American temple on my Japanese computer
while wearing Chinese clothing, eating some
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Jon J. Muth, “Zen Shorts,” Scholastic Press, New York, 2005
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stories. The lessons in these Zen
stories may be less than obvious
to some children. In fact some
stories might even be good for
some of us parents to read and
think about!
FROM THE INSIDE FLAP OF BOOKJACKET: “When Stillwater,
a giant panda, moves into Addy, Michael, and Karl's
neighborhood, he tells them the most amazing stories! He
tells Addy the tale of a poor man who gives gifts to a robber.
He tells Michael of a farmer who knows that luck can be neither judged nor predicted. And to Karl he tells the tale of a
monk who carries the weight of a burden long past. With vibrant watercolors and elegant ink drawings, Jon J Muth—
and Stillwater the bear—imaginatively present three classic
Zen stories that abound with enlightenment and love.” ▲▲▲
You can see this is a children’s book but it is probably wise
for parents to help the child understand the meaning of the
(A copy of this book is available in the Temple Library.)
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BUDDHIST EDUCATION COMMITTEE NEWS
Please mark your calendar for our Fall Ohigan
Seminar on Saturday, September 16 from 9:30 am
- 1:00 pm (including lunch). Rev. Kyogyo Miura
will speak in nihongo and Rev. Marvin Harada will
speak in English. For details and sign-up, please
see the flyer below.
BEC would like to thank Mrs. Kay Kafka for her
translation work. We greatly appreciate all her help
with bilingual flyers and other materials. dōzo
yoroshiku onegai shimasu
- Haru Matsumune
FALL OHIGAN SEMINAR
秋季お彼岸セミナー
土曜日 2006 年 9 月 16 日
Saturday, September 16, 2006
9:30 am - 1:00 pm
午前 9 時半 - 午後 1 時
ウエストロスアンゼルス仏教会
West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
Seminar in English
日本語のセミナー
Rev. Marvin Harada
三浦教行先生
Resident Minister
Orange County Buddhist Church
ガーデナ仏教会
Ontario, Oregon native Rev. Harada has
been at OCBC 20 years, having started
there 9/1/1986 after returning from
studies in Japan.
三浦教行先生はここ 10 年以上ガーデナ仏教
His educational background includes:
BA, Religious Studies, University of
Oregon; MA, Buddhist Studies, IBS;
Chuo Bukkyo Gakuin; MA, Shinshu
Studies, Ryukoku University.
会にて勤められています。同時にクリーブラ
ンドそしてファーラ/ハンフォード仏教会に
ても勤務されています、バイセリアにて監修
をされていたこともが有ります。
先生は 1970 年 3 月に龍谷大学にて学士号
を、1970 年 10 月に本派本願寺の、伝道員布
教師の称号を習得されています。
We are requesting $10/person, which
helps defray costs and includes lunch.
会費は一人＄10 をお願い致します、
この中にはこの日の昼食代が含まれています。
West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
2003 Corinth Avenue; LA 90025
(310) 477-7274 • westlabt@verizon.net
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WLABT Ohigan Seminar (9/16/06)
Registration deadline: Tuesday, 9/5/2006
Name
Phone number
e-mail address
日本語
Eng
(
)
(
)
(
)
Please enclose $10/person. Please write separate checks for your Ohigan Service donation
and your Ohigan Seminar registration.
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PRESIDENT YUKI SAKURAI’S PAGE
Words of gratitude
Domo arigato gozaimashita. The long awaited 2006 Obon Festival has come and gone,
leaving many pleasant memories. Thanks to Tosh Ishioka, Obon chairman; Kei
Okamoto, Obon Special Treasurer; our Rev. Fumiaki Usuki; and to the cooperation of
our members, friends, and relatives, who made it possible to have a successful Obon
Festival. Our parking lot transformed into a wonderland of amusements, foods and
drum performances, and our cultural exhibits expanded this year to include Japanese
gardens. The Obon Odori was held on the street this year, so it gave people more room
to walk around, greet old friends and enjoy the increased offering of delicious foods this
year. Thanks to Vance Nishimoto for extending electrical power coverage over our new
booth layout and new lighting on LaGrange Ave.
Dr. Jack Fujimoto, our capable master of ceremony for our Obon Odori program, kept
the audience informed on the nature of the various dances and kept the program
running smoothly. Grace Mizushima and her assistant teachers led the joyful dancers
through the intricate Obon Odori steps. The colorful WLABT dancers in their yukata
and happi were joined by dancers from various temples and groups and kept the
audience enthralled.
The old yagura was made like new with a coat of bright red paint applied by Mas Sasaki
and other Buddhist Men helpers, and added much to the ambience of beautiful Obon
festivities. The swaying lanterns completed the picturesque evening at West Los Angeles
Buddhist Temple. Thank you everyone for helping make this year’s WLA Obon Festival a
big success.
WLA Responds to BCA Emergency Appeal
In the July 2006 issue of the Wheel of Dharma, the monthly BCA newspaper all BCA
members receive, you no doubt read about the urgent appeal for immediate financial
assistance sent in May by Bishop Ogui and BCA President Gordon Bermant to all BCA
temples, ministers and presidents. The assistance needed was (1) an immediate
improvement in the number of gifts toward CAMPAIGN BCA – THE 21ST CENTURY, and
(2) for temples to grant a short-term loan to the BCA to help pay off the construction
loan for the Jodo Shinshu Center (JSC) building in Berkeley scheduled to complete this
June 30. The JSC, according to Bishop Ogui and President Bermant, is to become the
focal point for the growth of Shin Buddhism throughout the Western Hemisphere.
For (1) above, the WLA Board approved action to have our WLA Campaign Committee
send out another appeal for gifts from our membership.
For (2), the Board directed the Finance Committee plus selected other individuals to
meet and study BCA’s request, and report back to the Board with a recommendation.
This emergency committee called on two BCA officials residing in Southern District to
attend a meeting on June 8 of the committee and other interested parties which
included most of the WLA Board. The purpose was to get a fuller understanding of
BCA’s problem and what it was asking the temples to do. Following presentations by
the officials, there was a question-and-answer session to clarify any remaining
questions. The BCA officials then left, and the President presided over a meeting of
those present to discuss the problem.
There was a sense of real urgency because the BCA needed temple loans committed by
June 16 in order for the BCA to meet the June 30 deadline. Therefore, after due
deliberation, since a quorum of the Board was present at this meeting, a motion was
made, seconded and carried (by written ballot) to extend a loan to the BCA. Rick
Stambul, WLA’s Legal Counsel, was requested to insure this transaction is properly
documented with the amount and terms determined at this meeting. If you are
interested in more details, please contact me or the WLA Finance Committee
chairperson, Sho Matsumi.
On July 5 the BCA announced twenty temples had responded in little over a month
after the appeal went out with sufficient loans and gifts to help meet BCA’s June 30
construction loan payment deadline. WLA was among these twenty temples. Seventeen
temples (including WLA) extended loans ranging from $25,000 to 105,000 and totaling
$1,197,000. Five temples gave gifts ranging from $10,000 to 100,000 and totaling
$320,000. (Note: Some temples gave both loans and gifts.) Added to this were loans of
$1,680,000 and gifts of 200,000 from other sources.
One reason for the shortfall of funds on June 30 is that CAMPAIGN BCA – THE 21ST
CENTURY has been slower than expected in bringing in gifts. After more than four
years since the Campaign started, less than 10% of BCA membership has donated gifts,
so Bishop Ogui has requested all temples renew their efforts to encourage gifts and/or
pledges. So please consider making a generous gift when you receive CAMPAIGN
appeals from our CAMPAIGN Committee.
- Yuki Sakurai
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Temple. From pre-teens to seniors, and for active and sometimes, anxious,drummers, Rev.
Fumiaki Usuki has instilled a spirit that causes
a bridging of generations.
DR. JACK FUJIMOTO’S REPORTS
Temple Facilities Usage
President Yuki Sakurai formed an ad hoc
TEMPLE FACILITIES OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE to clarify the guidelines on use of Temple
facilities, both long term and short term. To
that end, this committee will continue to meet
to review and clarify guidelines on Temple facilities use. The committee is chaired by Dr.
Jack Fujimoto, with Temple Legal Counsel
Rick Stambul, Sho Matsumi and Victor
Naramura as members
The Obon Festival this year has been a fine focal point for bringing together the young and
old. Sushi making found a few younger ladies
helping their seniors in the fine art of rolling
maki-zushi.
Rev. Usuki and Tosh Ishioka invited the community to join in helping this effort of bridging
generations with participation from the local
Nikkei community. The JIS community center,
the local Y, the Hui Aikane group from Betsuin,
and Scouts were another aspect of bridging the
generations.
Recommendations will be offered to the Temple
Board and when approved find their way into
Temple policy manuals and a revised Member’s
Handbook.
The Obon dancing on LaGrange truly brought
many of the young and old together to
culminate in the joy of working together.
Temple members are encouraged to share ideas
on this subject with Dr. Jack Fujimoto.
Another Temple activity that seeks to bring intergenerational goodwill has been the Gourmet
Academy. Thanks to Mrs. Torako Akutagawa
and Mrs. Yoshiko Iwashita, several sessions of
food-making demonstrations have brought enjoyment to some of our younger Temple members. But, we need to continue to cultivate the
seniors to present their art of fine cooking. As
Mary Hahn told me, her yomogi plant that was
given to her after Mrs. Akutagawa’s mochi session is now thriving beautifully, and she wishes
to learn more ways to use the plant as well as
preparing some Japanese foods for New Year’s
Day.
Nominations For 2007 Temple
Leadership
For years 2007 and 2008, Vance Nishimoto is
scheduled to take the helm of the Temple as
President. Much as Vance has served as President-Elect, he will be seeking a successor as
his President-Elect.
The Nominations Committee will be meeting
in the coming months to confer with Temple
members to serve on Vance’s Executive Board
as well as on the many committees and departments that support the President and Rev.
Fumiaki Usuki in operating the Temple.
The Academy wishes to learn what food preparation activities Temple members can demonstrate to bridge the young with old. Ideas can
be shared with Rev. Usuki.
The task of the Nominations Committee will be
made much easier if Temple members volunteer for governance positions by notifying any
member of the Committee. Otherwise, when we
ask, please say “YES”.
These are some of the intergenerational activities that come to mind. Some will continue to
flourish and enhance the joy of belonging to the
Temple while others may languish. But, there
is no doubt that more and different ideas
should be shared to cultivate the spirit of
bridging the generations.
Intergenerational Activities – A Point Of
View
The Taiko Group has activated ties among the
various generations that we have in the
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Kiyo Teramaye
BWA APRON PROJECT
BWA NEWS
BWA thanks Jr. YBA Advisor Jim Shimomaye
for giving us the empty cloth rice sacks after
the annual mochi tsuki fund raiser. The idea of
making aprons out of these sacks floundered a
bit, but Sumiye Suzuki took over the project
and with the help of Barbara Tanaka and
Chiyo Nishina, the aprons were cut out, sewed
and sold in a month. Thank you, ladies!
Obon Co-Chairs Lorraine Soda/Kiyoko Nakamura would like to report that our Sushi
project for the Obon Festival was a success.
They would like to take this opportunity to
thank all the members and non-members who
helped to make this possible.
BWA in turn would like to commend Lorraine
and Kiyoko for their dedication and hard work
supervising every detail to insure success of
this project.
The proceeds were given to the Temple and 80+
Lunch program.
Thank you all. Everyone, take a well-deserved
rest in August!
Mrs. Sumiye Suzuki is pictured here
modeling one of the aprons she
sewed. Elsewhere in this Bulletin is
the story of her life which includes
very hard times in Manchuria at the
end of WW II.
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Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard
the life of any living creature as worthless is in
danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless
human lives.
- Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
Physician, philosopher, musician, Nobel laureate
(quoted from wordsmith.org)
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MRS. SUMIYE SUZUKI -- MEMORIES
The Japanese families in Tsuka gathered in one
part of the city and became a close knit
community as they helped each other. The
Suzukis were fortunate in that they received a
small stipend from the brick company. Others
were not so fortunate.
Temple member, Mrs. Sumiye Suzuki, celebrated her 90th birthday this year. Still very
bright and alert, she graciously agreed to share
her interesting life story with our reporter.
Like many Issei men, her father came to America in the late 1800s leaving wife and baby son
in Japan. After a few years of working on a
farm, he was able to send for his wife and son.
The family settled in an agricultural area, now
San Fernando, where Sumiye-san and two
sisters were born.
In 1943 Mr. Suzuki was drafted into the Japanese army. While stationed in Manchuria, he
was able to send post cards. But he was sent to
Taiwan and the family lost all communication.
Neither knew if the other had survived until
they were reunited in Oshima, Japan in 1946
three years later.
The Chinese government took over Manchuria
following the surrender of Japan. A year passed
and finally the government gave the order for
the Japanese families to return to Japan. On
September 1, 1946 Sumiye-san, Jane (age 6),
Nancy (age 4), and Kenny (age 3) began their
50-day trek to the port city of Koroto. Putting
the children and the elderly on a horse drawn
wagon, the adults walked to the railroad station. They were to ride on flat rail cars which
had no sides. Putting their few bags around the
perimeter, everyone sat in the center. Fortunately, the train moved slowly. Some days they
walked, and slept out in the open, waking up
damp with dew. Since they were traveling under government orders, Chinese troops
provided food and security.
Above: Four year old Sumiye-san with mother in their
watermelon field in San Fernando in 1920
When Sumiye-san was 14 the family went back
to Japan. The eldest son remained in the U.S.
The group arrived in Koroto and boarded an
American freighter and sailed to Kyushu. They
arrived at Sasebo but there were too many
ships waiting to dock and unload. Their ship
was sent to Hiroshima where they disembarked
and stayed at a large army base. Sumiye-san
and daughter Jane clearly remember how good
their first Japanese meal with mugi gohan was.
Sumiye-san was able to send a telegram to her
family with news of their return to Japan.
The family settled on a farm in Yamaguchi-ken.
Sumiye-san completed girls’ high school and
worked in a wealthy home where she learned to
sew and witness life of the privileged.
In 1938 she married Kanenori Suzuki, a young
manager in a brick building firm. His work
would take him and his young bride to
Manchuria. They lived in relative comfort in
small Japanese communities in the large cities.
Sumiye-san was a U.S. citizen so her three
children born in Manchuria fortunately had
dual citizenship (U.S. and Japan).
After a few days, Sumiye-san and the children
boarded the train to go catch the ferry home to
Oshima. Arriving too late to catch the last ferry,
they stayed overnight at a ryokan where they
heard the news that Mr. Suzuki had returned
half a year earlier. He was healthy and living on
the family farm. The word of his family’s safe
return reached Mr. Suzuki and the next morning he met them with manju that he had spent
the night making. Wheat grown on the farm
had been ground for flour, and there being no
azuki, probably sweet potato had been used
instead. There were tears of joy! Their faces
lighted up as Mrs. Suzuki and Jane
remembered that morning for this article.
The family was able to travel with Mr. Suzuki
as his work took him to various cities. They
lived as far north as Songo and were living in
Tsuka when WWII broke out.
The Suzukis survived on Oshima growing
vegetables on their farm and receiving ‘CARE’
packages from relatives in the U.S. They took
care of their elderly parents in Japan. After
they deceased, the Suzuki family returned to
the United States in 1957.
The three children enjoyed life in the states going to school and working with their parents
rebuilding their lives. But war was again to
shatter their lives. In 1966 twenty-three year
old Kenny was killed during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Suzuki passed away in 1995. Mrs. Suzuki
continues to live in her home tending to her
‘dichondra’ lawn, flowers, and fruit trees and
gratefully shares in the lives of her daughters,
grandchildren, and extended family.
7
TAIKO MILESTONE
(Editor’s Note: Since the last issue of the Bulletin, the WLA Taiko program reached a major milestone. It is described in the
following article that was written for the BCA Wheel of Dharma and Rafu Shimpo newspapers.)
In asking Rev. Usuki why he wanted to make
so many taiko, he replied: “As a newly-assigned
minister to the WLA temple, I was so impressed
by the spirit of the temple members, I wanted to
create a program for everyone, both young and
old. I asked if they were interested in doing
taiko and many indicated that they were. So,
though I knew nothing about taiko and taikomaking, they gave me the energy to commit to
making taiko for them."
The Spirit of Temple Members Spark the
Construction of 20 Taiko
Don! Don! Don! Don!
Thunderous sounds resonate from the basement of the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple.
These are the sounds emanating from the 20
taiko that were recently built by the resident
minister, Rev. Fumiaki Usuki, with the help of
a long-time temple member, Ichiro Ouchi.
The taiko were built for the taiko class that was
started in January, 2005. The class is being
taught by Shin3, a performance group out of LA
Betsuin.
Shin3 commented, “The making of 20 taiko in a
relatively short period of time is a remarkable
feat. Each taiko requires 50-100 hours of painstaking work...and this is on top of Rev. Usuki’s
busy, full-time ministerial duties.”
The building of the taiko was made possible by
the generous sponsorships by various members
and organizations of the WLA temple.
The West L.A. taiko class performed on the 20
taiko at the temple’s Obon festivities.
- Elaine Fukumoto
Ichiro Ouchi (left) and Rev. Fumiaki Usuki (right). Shin3’s Audrey Nakasone and Elaine Fukumoto in the
center surrounded by twenty taiko. Missing is Shin3 member Joyce Layne.
sponsored the building of many of the Taiko by
their unselfish donations: Thank you all! And
special thanks must go to our teachers, M.
Elaine Fukumoto, Joyce Layne, and Audrey
Nakasone, all of whom gave selflessly of their
time and hard work, and particularly from their
hearts to inspire our new group. Thanks also
gladly goes to Beverly Yahata, one of our own
Taiko members, who served as Treasurer for
the Group, a most time-consuming task.
WEST L.A. TEMPLE TAIKO GROUP
OBON PERFORMANCE PURE JINEN!
Richard Stambul
It was only the second public appearance of
our own West LA Taiko Group and it was a
great success. More than 20 Taiko drummers
gathered together at our Obon Festival on both
July 29 and 30. At the risk of sounding presumptuous, it wasn’t so much a “performance”
(although we did perform and play) as it was an
experience of many people acting (and sounding) as “one”. We were, without thought or
pretense, finding jinen hōni in real Buddhist
terms, “just as we are”, “authentic.”
As Elaine Fukumoto said so aptly after the
Group’s Obon appearance: “It was evident in
everyone’s faces........yes they were working
hard.....but there seemed to be a Joy in their
efforts....this was Kangi-e in action. A “Gathering of Joy” in every aspect of.Obon.” I would
only add that it was indeed a WLA Temple
Taiko “Ode to Joy”.
Special thanks goes to Rev. F. Usuki and
Ichiro Ouchi who performed the impossible by
constructing more than twenty (20) Taiko for
our Group: An incredible accomplishment.
Thanks also goes to those in our Sangha who
Thank you all.
8
OBON 2006
California Bank and Trust
Fukui Mortuary
George's Hardware
Giant Robot
Hashimoto Nursery
Hide Sushi
Hurry Curry of Tokyo
Jo-Mi Plumbing
Keiro
Kubota Nikkei Mortuary
Lulu
Mike's Flatbed Service
Morinaga Nutritional Food Inc.
Patch of Green
Safe and Save Market
Sakura Restaurant
Satsuma Oriental Imports
Sawtelle Kitchen
Sawtelle Tempura House
Scotty's Flowers and Gifts
Taka Hair Salon
Union Bank of California
Volcano Tea
Yamaguchi Oriental Imports
Tosh Ishioka
The Obon Festival was a HUGE SUCCESS with
a new look and great community participation.
The Obon dancing was held on the street. In
the parking lot there was a large tented eating
area surrounded by the various food and game
booths. Six new booths/attractions were
added: (1) Boy Scout Troop #39 – Chicken
Salad/Bibimbap; (2) WLA JACC, JIS, and WLA
JACL – Girafffe Jump House; (3) WLA Kendo
Dojo – Jump House; (4) WLA Hot Rodders –
Kalbi Beef; (5) Mr. Keisuke Imamura – Blueberry Imagawayaki; (6) Westside Family YMCA
– Basketball Toss.
Another outstanding addition was the interesting photo display by Margarita Nieto –
“Gardens Telling Stories – Japanese Gardens
and Gardeners of Sawtelle.” Entertainment by
the Kinnara and WLA Taiko groups added to
the festivities.
A BIG THANK YOU to all of the hard working
committee members and the participants of the
food and game booths. The outstanding support for setup and take-down of the booths was
greatly appreciated. A very special thanks to
Vance Nishimoto for taking care of the electrical challenge created by the street dancing and
additional tents. Lastly, we would like to thank
the merchants and banks for the very generous
donations they make each year to our raffle
booth.
The WLA Buddhist Temple gratefully acknowledges the many donors listed above who contributed so many prizes this year. Your
generosity is truly appreciated.
OBON DRAWING TOP WINNERS
1st prize: Nobu Misono
2nd prize: L. Mizuno
3rd prize: Mary Ikeda
OBON DRAWING DONORS
Aki Restaurant
Baba's Lawnmower Shop
Congratulations to these winners and the many
others who were lucky winners of the drawing.
GARDEN CLEANUP IN PREPARATION FOR OBON
Garden Committee chairman Tsukasa Mukai and longtime committee member Taizo Kishi survey progress.
Bay City Gardeners swarm over Temple garden.
THANKS TO THE BINGO COMMITTEE
In most months of the year, the WLA Bingo
Committee, under the chairmanship of Bob
Fujimoto, gather to conduct the monthly Bingo
fund raisers. Current committee members are
Kay and Rob Kafka, Judy Okita, Ichiro Ouchi,
Monica Saito, and Leo Tanaka. Their efforts
made it possible recently to transfer $10,000 into
the Temple account to help pay the costs of
expanding Obon facilities (tents, tables) this year.
Third Friday of each month.
Come support your Temple.
September 15, 7:30 p.m.
9
OBON BOOTH CONSTRUCTION
Crew begins assembly of frame for four new “Big Top” tents
added this year.
Completed “Big Top”. Four of these were erected to shade
the large new outdoor eating area in the parking lot.
WLA TAIKO AT OBON, THEIR SECOND PUBLIC PERFORMANCE SINCE THEY FORMED
Photo courtesy of Bruce Hatakeyama
BON ODORI SNAPSHOTS (more next issue. Submit photos (digital preferred) before Sep 1.)
▲ Grace Mizushima,
head odori instructor.
▲ Kathy Nishimoto. Rev.
Iwohara (Venice) in back.
▲ Laraine Miyata. Kimiko Usuki and Rev.
Usuki follow in her footsteps.
◄ Gene Kafka, WLA taiko drummer.
Rev. Ben Mayeda, BCA Minister Emeritus, and
WLA member, watches the dancers. Great to
see you looking so good, Reverend Ben. ------►
10
We have been kindly asked to write a short
piece about why we dance in the Obon Festival.
There are many reasons.
greatly enjoy visiting the other Obon Odoris
and experiencing the varieties of observance
and service. In particular, Senshin’s invitation
to light oil-lamps in memory of others is very
affecting (and the cold post-dance somen is
refreshing!)
First is the hospitality and graciousness of the
temples in allowing us to participate. When my
wife, Annie, suggested six years ago that anyone was welcome to attend West L.A. Buddhist
Temple odori practices, my response was “go
right ahead!” I’ve never been a dancer, a few
fox-trot
lessons
when
I
was
a
kid
notwithstanding.
Of course, we also get a great kick out of the
variety of dance styles on display: the robust,
flamboyant and sometimes free-form stylings of
some of the men; the economic grace of the ladies; the classical flourishes of some of the
more serious students; the exuberance of the
young people; the confused steps of the little
kids. They are all beautiful.
Yet Annie talked me into joining a practice one
evening, and I found the moves counter-intuitive, baffling to the point of frustration. Suffice
to say that my patience was not exemplary. I
quit. Annie persevered, though, and I gradually
rejoined, eventually figuring out that “back
right” meant “saluting” with my left hand, etc.
Eureka!
In sum, we dance for many reasons, and for no
reason at all (tada.) We feel privileged to be a
part of Obon, and it is, without a doubt, the
happiest time of year for us.
WHY WE DANCE AT OBON
Rip Rense and Annie Chuck
In time, to my surprise, I came to love it to the
point where we attend the Obon Odoris all over
Southern California.
But this is not so much frivolity to us. We do
not regard the event as a mere party, though
we relish the festivity of it. We have learned
about the history of Obon, the Ullambana Sutra, the traditions as they exist in Japan and
United States, and the purpose of affirming life
and acknowledging departed persons who have
influenced us, whether positively or negatively.
Not long after we began attending Obon Festivals, we purchased the anniversary CD produced by Senshin Buddhist Temple, in order to
read the lyrics to the songs, and understand a
little about their histories. We also took advantage of a talk about Obon given in Little Tokyo by Rev. Mas Kodani, which we found very
rewarding. Rev. Kodani’s well-known notions of
“tada odore,” or “just dance,” were illuminating.
The idea of reaching a point unfettered by ego,
and just being in the moment, is one that we
embraced long ago as a general approach to life
(intellectually, if not always in practice.)
Applying it to the dancing seemed natural.
Rip and Annie at WLA’s 2006 Bon Odori
D
D
D
D
D
80 PLUS YARD SALE
The 80 Plus Yard Sale was a HUGE SUCCESS.
A very special thank you to the Buddhist Men,
BWA, Asoka, and other members and friends
who worked so hard to set up on Friday and to
sell and clean up on Saturday.
So whether we are doing Tanko Bushi or Shiawase Samba or Hokkai no Abarembo, we are
always mindful of those moments free of both
embarrassment and showing off, the times
when you “tada odore.” Such moments do not
always happen, or even often, and when they
do, they are fleeting. Over in the snap of a finger, as per Rev. Kodani’s metaphor. Yet they
do, as he points out, put us “in the moment,”
in the same “tada” existence as all the stuff of
life.
We greatly appreciate the generous donations
of goods from members and friends. If you have
items you no longer use - small appliances,
clothes, jewelry, toys, kitchen items, etc. please keep us in mind for the next yard sale.
Thank you again for your wonderful support.
- Yard Sale Committee
But this is not to make too much of a complicated thing out of the proceedings. This is
hardly a solemn, ascetic ritual, but rather, as
the Jodoshinshu term for Obon, Kangi-e, goes,
“a gathering of joy.” We relish joining everyone
in the great circle around the yagura---the
symbolism of human cooperation is very moving---and we love the intoxicating colors of the
yukatas, the brash taiko displays, the smoke
from the chicken teriyaki, the cool kintoki. (We
haven’t been brave enough to try the chili rice
or spam musubi yet, though.)
(l to r) Chiyo Nitta, Masako Ishioka, and Lorraine Soda
are the Yard Sale Committee that works year round
collecting, organizing, and pricing the donated goods.
While West L.A. is our “home” (which we recently formalized by joining the temple), we
11
WLA BUDDHIST TEMPLE T SHIRTS
!!!SALE!!!
REDUCED PRICE OF $10.00
Following the success of our Obon Festival sales of our official WLA Temple T-Shirts, we
have a limited supply still available at the reduced price of $10 from the original price of
$15. We’ve sold out of the Medium size, but have all other sizes still available.
Remember, these are the finest quality Hanes Beefy T-Shirts, 100% cotton, pre-shrunk,
in six spectacular colors (T Shirts are white). The design on the back-side represents our
own WLA Buddhist Temple viewed looking west from Corinth Avenue and includes our
lantern and garden. The kanji 自然 stands for jinen which means “just as you are,”
“authentic,” and “to be spontaneous.” Over the front left pocket area of the T Shirt
appears a discreet depiction of the Jodo Shinshu wisteria symbol in (WLA Temple) red
with the text, “WLA Buddhist Temple 2006” appearing under it. THESE TEES WILL
SOON BECOME COLLECTOR’S ITEMS. Thank you to all who bought our 2006 T-Shirts.
May our first Temple T Shirt be a reminder to cherish with gratitude the Joy of Dancing
and being “Just As You Are.” Thank you for your continuing support.
Namu Amida Butsu.
Please complete this Order Form and send it with your check (payable to “WLA Buddhist
Temple”) to: West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple/Temple T Shirts, 2003 Corinth Avenue, Los
Angeles, CA 90025, OR simply pay for and pick up your FOR SALE T-Shirts @ $10. each at
the Temple.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TEMPLE T SHIRT ORDER FORM
Name: _________________________________________ Phone number: ____________________
Street Address: _________________________________________ City & Zip Code: ____________________
Please insert the number of T Shirts you want to order for each size:
XS________Sml________Lrg________XL________XXL________
TOTAL Number of T Shirts ________ X $10.00 each = $ ________ check enclosed.
12
SEPTEMBER SHOTSUKI HOYO - 10 a.m. Saturday, September 9, 2006
Arita, Kaneto
Fukuhara, Ume
Fukumoto, Jimmy
Hada, Wasano
Ishii, Sadako
Ishioka, Masako
Iwasaki, Karl
Kamibayashi, Yoshiko
Kato, Kei
Kazumura, Yoshio
Kazumura, Shizue
Kojima, Hatsu
Kojima, Hisashi
Kondo, Frank
Koshiyama, Hisano
Koshiyama, Harry
Kurokawa, Fusae
Maeda, Yoneo
Mataga, Tameichi
Mayeda, Tsutaye
Mayetani, Sadaichi
Miyahara, Karo
Mochizuki, Shinsaku
Mori, Hachijiro
Murata, Takeo
Nagatome, Seikichi
Nakagawa, Michiko
Nakamura, Takano
Nakashima, Chima
Nicho, Ei
Ohnoki, Pat
Okanishi, Naosuke
Okubo, Nobuichi
Sakahara, Matsukichi
Sakurai, Matasaku
Sasaki, Takeo
Sasaki, Tatsuo
Shimomaye, Wataru
Shintaku, Sadako
Soda, Steven
Takemoto, Mamoru
Takenoshita, Shintaro
Tanaka, George
Totani, Wakano
Ueno, Shotaro
Yabuta, Robert
Yuzuki, Minoru
JULY SHOTSUKI HOYO DONATION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
20
30
20
20
20
20
5
5
20
35
Fujioka, June
Hada, Isamu
Hayashi, Shizuko
Ishihara, Haruko
Iwamoto, Takao
Kiriyama, Tak
Koyama, Shinkichi
Koyama, Shinkichi
Kozawa, Nobuko
Kurosaki, Fusaye
25
20
50
20
20
10
20
20
30
20
Masuda, Helen
Mayeda, Rev. Ben
Nakamura, Margie
Nakamura, Reiko
Nekoda, Rev. Ensei
Nishikawa, Fumiko
Nunokawa, Ruth
Ozamoto, George
Sakamoto, Kay
Sakurai, Yuki
20
20
30
30
20
30
20
21
Seike, Kazuko
Sumida, Nagako
Suzuki, Sumiye
Takahashi, Miyoye
Tashima, Harry
Yahata, Beverly
Yamamoto, Ikuko
Loose
20
Suzuki, Sumiye
20
Takahashi, Miyoye
JULY FLOWER DONATIONS
20
20
Hayashi, Shizko
Kurosaki, Fusaye
CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF:
MRS. TOMIKO IWAMOTO
8/28/11 – 6/20/06
MR. SHOJI ICHIKAWA
5/22/25 – 7/15/06
MR. TUSSY TSUGINORI UMEDA
5/21/16 – 8/4/06
13
SPECIAL DONATION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
(NOTE: Special donations received and deposited in August will appear in the October 2006 issue.)
June 2006
Jacqueline Marie Pierce
Special donation
30.00
Japanese Institute of Sawtelle
Classroom use from August 2006 to June 2007
Masao Sasaki
7th
Yoshiko Iwashita
Gourmet Academy
20.00
Ikebana Class
Classroom use
30.00
Roy Higa
33rd
Donna & Neil Higashida
Social Hall use
Chiyoko Nitta
Funeral service for Satoshi Nitta
Chidori Kagawa
13th year Memorial for Rich Masaki Kagawa
Isamu Hada
Father’s Day Service
Laraine Miyata
Funeral service for Tatsuye Miyata
Jacqueline Marie Pierce
Special donation
Miyoye Takahashi
3rd
year Memorial for Larry Shinji Takahashi
100.00
Ben, Hisako, Gail Yamanaka
1st
year Memorial for Gregory Arata Yamanaka
100.00
Ted Yamanaka
1st year Memorial for Gregory Arata Yamanaka
100.00
Venice/SFV Scouts
Social Hall use
100.00
Chiyo Nitta
49th day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta
200.00
Lorraine Soda
49th
day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta
25.00
M/M Tosh Ishioka
49th
day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta
30.00
M/M Sei Shohara
49th
day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta
30.00
year Memorial for Koyoshi Sasaki
year Memorial for Tomohiko Higa
3,000.00
150.00
200.00
100.00
1,000.00
100.00
20.00
600.00
50.00
July 2006
Gabriel Fairfoot
Hula Dance Group
Ikebana Class
Iwamoto Family
Ritsuko Uto
Southern District BWA
Hideko Ichikawa
Miyuki Kosaka
Jane Makinodan
Leo Yamanaka
Minobu Nishimori
Hatsuko Goto
Special donation
Facility use
Classroom use
Funeral service for Tomiko Iwamoto
17th year Memorial for Masayuki Uto
25.00
100.00
30.00
800.00
75.00
Kubota Nikkei Mortuary, Inc.
Use of altar pieces for 2006 SD Buddhist Conference
Funeral and Burial Service for Shoji Ichikawa
Obon
Obon
Obon
Obon
Obon
Obon
Hisao & Yuri Honda
Obon
25.00
Marie Sakamoto
Obon
Obon
50.00
50.00
Thomas Yasuda & Marjorie
Morikawa
Obon
500.00
Angel Maid Bakery
Obon
50.00
Baba’s Lawnmower Shop
Obon
100.00
Jonathon Ahearn
Obon
100.00
Motoko Saneto
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Aliya Assilbayeva
Evan Kitahara
Rip Rense and Annie Chuck
Miwa Takahashi
Gail Yamanaka
15
50.00
200.00
20.00
25.00
50.00
100.00
30.00
100.00
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
SEPTEMBER 2006
9/2&3 SD Jr. YBA
Conference at
Arizona
Bulletin Folding Toban: BWA
Office hours: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Phone: 310-477-7274
E-mail: westlabt@verizon.net
Website: wlabt.org
3
SD Jr. YBA Conference at Arizona
4
Labor Day Holiday
5
7:30 p.m. Temple
Board Meeting
9/1-3 World BWA Convention in Hawaii
6
7
8
1:00 pm Study Class 7:30 pm SD Council
(English)
Meeting at Gardena
7:30 pm Taiko
9
10 am Shotsuki
Hoyo
SD DSTL Conference
at Oxnard
Temple Closed
10
First Day of 2006-07 Dharma School year
9:30 a.m. Sunday Service/Dharma School/
Study Class (E)
BWA Meeting following Study Class
12 Noon Shigin Kinryu Kai
2
11
12
10:00 am SD
Ministers’ Meeting
at Betsuin
13
7:30 pm Taiko
1:00 pm Study Class
(English)
7:30 pm Buddhist
Men Meeting
Rev. Usuki Off
17
14
18
19
10 am HIGAN-E SERVICE
Toban: Buddhist Men
Hamburger Lunch to follow
20
7:30 pm Taiko
21
15
7:30 p.m
BINGO
.
16
9:30 am – 1 pm
Ohigan Seminar
Speakers: Reverends
Kyogyo Miura (J),
Marvin Harada (E)
Rev. Usuki Off
22
23
29
30
1:00 pm Study Class
(English)
Rev. Usuki Off
24
9:30 am Sunday Service/Dharma School/
Study Class (E)
25
12 Noon
80-Plus Lunch
26
27
7:30 pm Taiko
BWA to Las Vegas
12 Noon Shigin Kinyo Kai
Rev. Usuki Off
7:30 pm Asoka
Fujinkai Meeting
28
1:00 pm Study Class
(English)
Rev. Usuki Off